


Sideswipe’s Sword

by Darkness_Rising



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Character Death, Pre Earth, set on cybertron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 15:28:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14772275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkness_Rising/pseuds/Darkness_Rising
Summary: How Sideswipe gained and lost his favourite sword.





	Sideswipe’s Sword

**Author's Note:**

> This was posted as an RP fill a few years ago on my Sideswipe/Sunstreaker RP blog on Tumblr. The blog has been inactive for the past 3 years so I decided to give this a tidy up and post here. When this was originally posted, Sideswipe had been on a not-date with Onslaught in the forest following a previous encounter when Onslaught repaired an injury Sideswipe gained whilst out for a spin. One of the conversations they had was about Sideswipe’s collection of swords and this little fic materialised from that.

The larger mech looked down at Sideswipe with arrogance. "The Autobots insult me by sending a youngling to take me out, what are you supposed to do, distract me whilst they launch an attack on me?" His leery gaze looked over the mostly red frame. "Pretty, but not my usual type, although who can be choosy these cycles?"

Lurching towards Sideswipe the Decepticon, Coldsteel, was taken by surprise as Sideswipe lived up to his newly acquired designation, dropping to his haunches and spinning around on his toeplate, one leg extended to side swipe the thickset legs of his opponent from under him.

The Decepticon fell to the ground like a lead weight, his ruby red optics wide with momentary shock before he gave a mocking laugh. "That'll be the only time you get one up on me Autobrat, now why don't you run back to your creators like a good little mechling and come and join the war when you've grown up a bit."

Sideswipe's dark optics narrowed. "You’ve no idea who my creator is, if you did, you would be very afraid right now." The Autobot remained on his haunches, black servos on the ground to steady him as he watched his opponent from under his helm, his battle protocols ready and waiting. "Now, how about a real fight?" Sideswipe stood up, activating his battle armour, a mask slowly sliding into place, leaving only his optics exposed, his gaze cold as energon blades extended from his forearms. "I'll even let you get up before we start too."

Barking a laugh, the Decepticon hauled his hefty frame up, using the long sword he was holding as leverage, amused in part by the Autobot's words and partly by the display taking place before him. "And the spoils of this one sided fight?" Because the cocky little Autobot would be going down, in Coldsteel's opinion, secondary armour or not.

"If you win, you kill me. If I win, I kill you." It really was that simple to Sideswipe. "Oh, and I get to keep your sword." The Autobot's head cocked as he studied the beautiful weapon; he had already decided that sword would be a great addition to his collection, in fact, it would be the pinnacle of his collection.

A deep, dark laugh came back at Sideswipe. "I have to admire your tenaciousness Autobot, but don't let that fool you into thinking I'll go easy on you." Coldsteel lunged forward again, bringing his sword up to strike at the the smaller mech.

"I wouldn't expect you to." Sideswipe replied coldly, his left arm and energon blade rising to block the attack as his right arm swept at exposed abdominal plating.

Coldsteel hissed as heat sliced through his outer plating, his face contorted in anger. There was no way this little scraplet was going to get the better of him, but it was with anger he wielded his sword, Sideswipe taking advantage of his lack of control and striking at his abdomen again, stepping out of the way of the sword as it fell.

"Not very coordinated, are you Con." Sideswipe's icy gaze swept over the large mech as he tried to swing and lash out at the Autobot. "Thing about being smaller, I can move quicker than you." Sideswipe twisted his frame, striking out again as he did, causing a fresh flow of energon. "C'mon," he goaded. "Surely you can do better than this."

Sideswipe stepped back, giving Coldsteel a moment to compose himself; that came from his gladiator training. One didn't just take out an opponent because you could, you made a show of it, even if that meant giving them time to recover.

"You're beginning to test my patience." Coldsteel growled and once again he attacked with his sword, this time making contact with Sideswipe's shoulder. Confusion caused the Decepticon to falter. He had definitely hit Sideswipe, he could see the scratch and dent in his battle armour, yet the Autobot hadn’t even flinched.

Instead Sideswipe tapped at the graze on his shoulder. "Battle armour is infused with Iridium. Not impenetrable but you're gonna need more control over your strike if you want to harm me." Or of course, catch one of his joints or take his head off.

For a short while the pair traded blows with one another, sometimes the Decepticon getting one up on Sideswipe and penetrating his armour, other times spitting curses as the Autobot gouged another tear in his frame. Coldsteel was becoming frustrated, his frustration leading to mistakes and fatigue. He knew he needed to regain control and stop expelling unnecessary energy, but the little fragger was really winding him up.

Suddenly, Sideswipe decided he was bored of the fight. They could dance around one another all cycle until one of them dropped from exhaustion, and it would be the Decepticon who was likely to tire first at this rate, his frame already panting from the exertion, but Sideswipe needed to move on to his next target; the sounds of other battles echoing around him.

"Had enough yet?" Sideswipe hollered coldly, mockingly as he rocked back and forth on his feet, his stance waiting for the next attack.

Coldsteel grunted "never!" as he flung himself at the Autobot, sword swinging high once more. This seemed to be his favourite attack, the large Decepticon not learing how exposed it left his abdomen and chest.

Well, now it was time he learned that lesson as Sideswipe bent his knees and leapt up, the combination of his acceleration upwards and the Decepticon's attack downwards making the distance short.

To begin with, Darksteel had no idea what the Autobot had done. He was too annoyed to think clearly, the pain from the energon blade entering his chest not yet hitting and by the time he realised what had happened, Sideswipe was already clinging to his large frame, one hand gripping the collar of his plating and anchoring the smaller Autobot to him, the other hand peeling back chest plating where his blade had entered.

Coldsteel stumbled backwards, his frame suddenly wracked with pain as his sensor net finally caught on with the attack, his head bowing as he dropped his optics to his chest, trying to see past the Autobot hanging off him. There was no way...

"Never. Under. Estimate. Me!" Sideswipe spat coldly, his head canting to look at his opponent as fear began to flood the ruby optics that looked back at him.

Anger replaced the fear as a deep and dark growl left the Decepticon. "You can't beat me, I'm Coldsteel!” He roared. “A Decepticon! I do the killing and you’re nothing but a youngling, a brat, you..."

"One who was created to kill." Sideswipe let his battle mask slide back, a smirk breaking through his icy facade while he flexed his fingers, allowing hidden claws to extend before he plunged his hand into the gaping hole he had ripped into his enemy's chest. Claws tore into the spark housing, his fingers clasping the crystal cover and ripping it away with ease. "Created by Shockwave." He whispered loudly as he lunged for Coldsteel's life force and only when Coldsteel’s realisation that Sideswipe was more than just some youngling Autobot, filled the Decepticon's optics, did Sideswipe tear Coldsteel's spark from its chamber.

Coldsteel's frame became rigid before going lax in his death, Sideswipe springing off his prey to avoid being crushed by the large mech and landing on the ground, Sideswipe watched as the mech who had mocked him crashed down beside him, the shock of what Sideswipe had done still etched on his face and as narrowed, blue optics swept over the rapidly graying frame, Sideswipe clenched his fist, snuffing out the spark he held.

As the last signs of life finally faded away, Sideswipe felt cold and empty, the way he always did after a kill; this was not the gladiator rings, there was no glory here, no one to cheer you on. Nor was there a sense of triumph, just emptiness and the ache of his frame.

Once Sideswipe's battle protocols wound down, his own wounds made themselves known. None were life threatening but the discomfort added to his weariness.

Sunstreaker suddenly surged through the twin bond, he had been embroiled in his own battle but had remained on the edge of his connection with Sideswipe, there if his twin needed him but mindful to not distract him. Sunstreaker's presence in his spark and mind pulled Sideswipe from the coldness he felt as he remembered his twin and how he, and their comrades, could probably do with an extra pair of hands.

Bending down beside the fallen Decepticon, Sideswipe prised the sword from the lifeless hand of the deactivated mech. "Thanks for the trophy." He mumbled before straightening up, his energon blades retracting back into his arms as he found a comfortable grip on the sword and headed for his brother's location.

~|~

"I promise I'll engrave it when we get back, now hurry your aft up! Prime is waiting for us." Sunstreaker was already heading out of the barracks whilst Sideswipe paused to glance back at his sword.

"Maybe I should just bring it with me, you never know." Sideswipe was about to grab the gleaming weapon.

The red front liner had quite an array of swords and blades he had collected from his enemy, but this one was his favourite and went everywhere with him. However, Sunstreaker had promised to engrave his glyph onto it and had cleaned it ready before they had been called away.

"It's not going anywhere, Swipe, and do you really want to undo the first stage of polishing?" Sunstreaker called over his shoulder, knowing exactly what Sideswipe was doing despite already being halfway down the corridor.

Sideswipe vented and gave the sword one last glance before sprinting after Sunstreaker.

~|~

By the time the Prime and his team returned to their barracks there was nothing more than a smoldering, mangled mess of twisted metal and dead frames. They heard the attack had been brutal, but seeing it was believing it.

Most of Optimus Prime’s soldiers were on different missions so only a sparse crew remained at the base, but even then that death toll was too much for the Prime to accept and he needed to see the destruction for himself. He was still waiting for a survivor report but as his main command team had been with him at the time, Optimus didn't expect anything soon.

"We salvage what we can, recover the frames, and we head to Iacon." Even as he gave the order, the Prime wondered what could possibly be salvaged.

Along with their comrades, the twins sifted through the rubble, looking for any weapons or energon stashes they could take with them, but everything was gone. Nothing had survived and not even the deactivated frames were identifiable.

Sunstreaker could feel disappointment bleed through from Sideswipe. "It's only a sword." He offered. The twins had never held any stock in possessions, hell, Sunstreaker had lost his art supplies too, but these were not things they needed for survival. Okay, so Sideswipe's sword collection would have been a welcome addition to their lack luster arsenal, but it wasn't worth getting upset over. Although Sunstreaker wasn't that indifferent to his twin’s feelings. He knew what the sword meant to Sideswipe, what it represented and it had been his fault that it was still at their base camp during the air attack. "I know it won’t be the same but I'm sure you'll get another one, plenty of Cons to kill out there.”

"But I want this one." Sideswipe pouted.

Sunstreaker glanced around him and when he was sure no one was taking any notice of them, he stepped into Sideswipe's space, resting his fore-helm against his brother’s. "On the bright side, at least it is only your sword and not us under there."

Sideswipe gave a small snort. "True." He replied before meshing his energy field with Sunstreaker's, both taking a silent moment, mourning the loss of their temporary home (one of many temporary homes as they moved from city to city with their Prime), their comrades who hadn't gotten away, and Sideswipe mourned the loss of the only possession he cared about.

**Author's Note:**

> The Background of the twins is set in a verse I’ve been creating where the twins are created in lab by Shockwave. Unfortunately after the demise of both my laptop and backup drive, all story notes and plans were lost, so other than the bios written in the RP blog, and references made to it by the twins, the story has never come to fruition. Maybe one day. The battle armour and mask mentioned in this fic is part of that verse which I’ve also used in my fic, Redemption.


End file.
